The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled early today that Missouri could proceed with Franklin’s execution. The order came just hours after a lower court blocked the execution and claimed the state’s disputed protocol for administering lethal injection must be resolved.

The latest ruling means that only the U.S. Supreme Court can intervene and stop the execution.

The lower court judge said the state had not satisfied questions about the production of the pentobarbital Missouri planned to use. The judge chastised Missouri’s frequently changing lethal injection plans, calling them a “frustratingly moving target.”

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A judge has convicted a former Pittsburgh-area armored car guard of killing his partner and stealing $2.3 million from the truck last year.Kenneth Konias Jr. was found guilty on Tuesday of first-degree murder, robbery and theft. He faces life in prison at his sentencing on Feb. 18.The attorney for the 24-year-old Dravosburg resident claims Konias shot fellow guard Michael H